18. Charles Schaefer (1925)
Served 1 Year
Charles Schaefer was born on April 20, 1887, at his home on Broadway to his parents Charles and Elizabeth (Meyer) Schaefer. He married Alice Chapman in July of 1910, and they lived at 69 Woodbury Road and then at 34 Bay Avenue. He was a carpenter working for James Stewart Company and he helped organize Local 1772 of the Carpenter’s Union.
He joined Protection Hook and Ladder Company 1 in December of 1909 and served as their Captain in 1920, 1921 and 1922. In 1925 Charles was elected as the 18th Chief to serve the Hicksville Fire Department. His Assistant Chiefs were Henry Gebhardt as 1st Assistant and George Gleckler as 2nd Assistant Chief.
It was during his term that the Department installed the first on Long Island, a reliable fire alarm system, by “Gamewell”. The first box was installed at Broadway and Marie Street and given number 6-1. The system was hooked up to an air-operated horn on the roof of the firehouse. When the horn blew, it was with limited air pressure and people in town were quoted as it “sounded like a cow”. The horn could be heard as far south as the salt marshes and as far north as Oyster Bay.
In January, Chief Schaefer received a petition signed by ten members asking that Company 3 be allowed to reorganize now that the village was growing rapidly. After 14 years the Department Chief Schaefer welcomed back Company 3. In 1911 they were disbanded by the Board of Fire Commissioners and in 1925, they were reorganized as Chemical Engine Company 3. Twelve members would transfer from Companies 1, 2 and 4.
Edward Schluter Sr. was elected Captain, William Baker elected as 1st Lieutenant and Henry Schnepf would serve as 2nd Lieutenant. The other members were William Braun, Edward Van Dorn, Albert Loeffler, Fred Fricke, William Duffy, August Haffner, Frank Chlumsky, James Henshell and Frank Mollitor.
In March of 1925, after many years of patiently waiting for new motorized trucks, the department staged a demonstration and parade to welcome their new White Company fire apparatus. In 1924, the Board of Commissioners provided a most thorough and exhaustive investigation of many makes of fire apparatus, had unanimously decided to purchase White fire apparatus. Their expectations apparently were more than fulfilled, and the trucks received Chief Schaefer’s approval.
The new apparatus, consisting of two 350-gallon pumpers and one chemical truck, cost $20,000. The pumpers were complete in every detail. The pump chosen by the White Company engineers and adopted by them as standard equipment is the Hale pump. The equipment on the pumpers consisted of search light, electrically operated siren, locomotive bell, ladders, pike poles, axe, hand extinguishers and the usual amount of small equipment efficiently fighting fires.
The chemical truck had more equipment to catch the eye and made a distinct hit with the department and the newly reorganized Chemical Company 3. The chemical is mounted on the same size chassis as the pumpers; has two 60-gallon copper lined chemical tanks; 250 feet of hose, hose baskets and ladders and the rest of the necessary equipment. Mr. Miller was the representative of the White Company, and he spared nothing to have these trucks come up to the specifications required and it is his opinion that these trucks for their size are the finest manufactured and delivered on Long Island. The White Company also arranged for one of their instructors to be stationed at the firehouse to train members
The two Ford fire chemical trucks were sold at auction after the new “White’s” were placed in service. Robert Schwarzenberg and Frank Mason bought the trucks for $220 and $120 respectively. Chief Schaefer was able to make good on his predecessor’s prior effort to move away from the private water company to the local water district having full control of fire hydrants in October of 1925. One immediate joint opportunity was to have the water district agree to paint the hydrants red with aluminum bonnets and caps. This would make hydrants more visible to responding firefighters.
On November 21, 1926, Morris and Bertha Kellner were found dead from an accidental gas poisoning in their three-room apartment at 19 Broadway. The couple was married for 3 weeks. When firemen arrived, the kitchen stove gas was found turned on and fumes overcame the couple who were sleeping in their bedroom.
Chief Schaefer welcomed the new renovations to the firehouse in 1926. This was the first time that the firehouse received extensive renovations, including an addition to the side of the building and movement of the interior staircase to the side of the building. The renovation included adding concrete foundation, basement and hose drying tower. The cost of the renovation was less than $20,000. Nineteen years earlier, the entire firehouse cost a mere $6,000.
Charles served on the Annual Labor Day Parade & Drill and was the Chairman in 1926. He was a member of the Nassau County Firemen’s Association and Charter member of the Volunteer and Exempts Firemen’s Benevolent Association of Hicksville.
Charles’ son Harold Schaefer was a Captain, and his grandson, Bradford Schaefer were members of Protection Hook and Ladder Company 1.
Chief Schaefer passed away after a long illness on April 14, 1963, at the age of 74 and is interred at Plain Lawn Cemetery.
